Rohit Sharma had a special message for MS Dhoni as the legendary cricketer handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to young batter Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
The franchise (CSK) on Thursday announced that the right-handed opening batter Ruturaj will be the new captain of CSK ahead of their 2024 season opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
Rohit Sharma, who himself will not be donning the captain’s hat in IPL 2024, shared an Instagram story.
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CSK and Dhoni share an unbreakable bond and the World Cup-winning captain is expected to keep a significant role in the franchise going forward, albeit not as a player.
Also reacting to the news, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan took to X to share his views.
“In the ever-expanding galaxy of cricket, MS Dhoni’s legacy as CSK’s leader shines bright, akin to a supernova, illuminating the path for the franchise with unparalleled brilliance and allure. His leadership will be remembered for decades to come. Good luck Ruturaj for your new responsibility as a CSK leader,” Pathan wrote.
This will only be just the second time Dhoni won’t start an IPL season as skipper of CSK, after Ravindra Jadeja had been the captain in IPL 2022, only for him to be replaced mid-way by the legendary wicketkeeper-batter.
Dhoni officially announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020 but his engagement in IPL remained intact.
The 42-year-old, who played with a dodgy knee last season, underwent a surgery after leading CSK to their fifth title.
Dhoni has played as many as 250 IPL matches, scoring more than 5000 runs at a strike rate of 135.92.
Due to his knee issues, Dhoni pushed himself down to number 8 in the batting order last season but after regaining full fitness, he is expected to bat higher up this edition.
Besides stellar success in the IPL, Dhoni led CSK to two titles in the defunct Champions League. CSK made as many as 10 finals under Dhoni’s captaincy. If one includes his 14 games for Rising Pune Supergiant, that extends his IPL captaincy tenure to 226 IPL games with Rohit Sharma being a distant second (158 games). Overall, Dhoni has led CSK in 212 IPL matches, winning 128 games, while losing 82 matches.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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